The whistle sounded long and loud and Cybil woke with a start. She gaped about for a minute and then slammed her eyes shut trying to recapture her dream. The whistle blew again and she snapped her eyes open and swore. Ryan was just getting ready to... she swore again and swung her legs out over the bunk and sat for a second before rising and staggering to the lavatory.

"Gawd! You sure didn't look like that in your dream." She leaned into the mirror and prodded her puffy cheeks.

Twenty minutes later, Cybil was dressed, groomed and ready to meet the day. In the corridor she saw the back of Jonas Howe heading for the dining car and hurried her pace, deciding that he might be an interesting breakfast companion.

Harriet dressed quietly; careful not to disturb Seth whose snores drowned out most of the sounds she couldn't contain, and slipped out of the compartment, intent on looking for any opportunity to help further her plan. She weaved down the swaying car to the exit and saw the Marsh woman heading for the dining car. As she stepped onto the platform between cars, the door behind her opened and Jean Bellows stepped through.

"Hold it! I'm right behind you."

Harriet held the sliding door for the woman and after a brief greeting for the day, they continued on to the dining car together.

"I understand you lost a niece?" Jean spoke over Harriet's shoulder.

"Yes. She was- we were very close."

"He killed my grandparents. Our grandparents. I shouldn't forget my little sister."

"How awful for you." Harriet paused to look at Jean.

"More for Hannah, she's the sentimental type." The remark sounded so cold that Harriet blinked, unable to respond. "We hardly knew them. It must be at least six years since we even saw them."

"But they were family." Harriet continued walking, her mind tumbling with interesting possibilities.

"Oh sure... but- well, you know." Jean held the lounge door and they crossed into the dining car.

"Are you meeting anyone or could we sit together?" Harriet stopped by a table near the end.

Jean looked around the car. "Nope, guess not. Sure, what about your husband?"

"He's still asleep." The sentence came out in a way that Jean felt severed any further comment. Stanley appeared at their table with his dopey grin and announced the morning's menu, adding that it would be wise not to wait until the car became too crowded if they were hungry. He stayed to Harriet's side of the table, a wary eye on Jean as his previous encounter was still pinging in his brain.

Ryan poked his head out of the kitchen and nodded to those who noticed then went back inside deciding to have his breakfast at the counter. He caught Stanley and told him to deliver the prisoner's breakfast and something for Harlan then he gave his order to Deke.

"Carl came back and tol' me to fetch his food up to the cab. He says we got a bad lookin' sky to the west and it's headin' our way."

Ryan went and peered out the window, squinting unpleasantly at the black band on the horizon. He told Deke to make up Carl's breakfast and he'd take it up to him himself, he'd come back for his later. A brisk wind was blowing from the west countering the draft from the forward motion of the train and Ryan had to hang on to the rail for safety as he made his way to the engine. The brim of his Stetson snapped down over his face.

"Step careful there, Marshal." Carl reached down and took the dish with his food on it. "Could get a mite rocky back there soon." He thumbed his comment to the west.

"Is it a problem?" Ryan sheltered his face inside the cab, holding tight to his hat.

"Depends." Carl pointed up the canyon to the first of two bridges that looked far too spindly for passage.

"That's where we cross?"

"And another one a few hundred feet past beyond them trees." He took a huge bite of his bacon sandwich and continued around the mouthful. "Gotta go real slow across both of them. One jiggle too many and we could wind up down there." Ryan followed his gaze down a deep gorge to a rocky, river bottom.

"How soon to the first one?"

"At this speed, about twenty minutes, but I gotta start slowin' before then so make it maybe thirty-five."

"How long to cross... both?"

"If that don't reach us, about fifteen minutes each. If it does—"

"I don't want to know." Ryan made a face, slapped Carl on the shoulder and made his way back to the kitchen.

By the time he reached the dining car most of the passengers were seated and either eating or awaiting breakfast. He did a count and noticed that Penny Hatcher and Seth Dingwall were missing along with Clifford Williams. He stood by the kitchen door and called for attention.

"We might be runnin' into to bad weather before the mornin's out and it could be you will all have to stay in your compartments for a spell." Immediately there were moans of upset and hostility and Ryan let them rant for a bit before holding up his hands for silence. "If you let me explain you might see the wisdom in the decision."

He ducked down and looked out the window. "See that sky yonder? That is a monster storm headin' right this way and in a few minutes we'll be slowin' right down to cross some very delicate bridges that cross Buffalo Horn Canyon." There was another swell of murmurs and groans. "If we get across both bridges before the storm reaches us, our engineer can make good speed and hopefully get us around the back side of the mountain where we'll get some protection."

"What if we don't?" Cybil Marsh.

"You'll have somethin' real excitin' to write about."

"Seriously, Marshal, how dangerous is it?" Abner Wentworth.

"Serious enough for you folks to do as I suggest. Finish up here—you got a bit of time yet—then go back to your compartments and stay there until we see exactly what we're up against. Havin' you all out here frettin' and askin' questions won't help one little bit. Am I clear?"

"I saw lightening!" Jean Bellows yelped with a child's excitement. Everyone crowded to the windows and stared at the heavy sky, gasping when the show repeated.

"Convinced?" Ryan said, striding down the car and heading out to find the missing passengers.